[open] lay me over a broken altar

[Warlight]

Warlight

Soul as sweet as blood red jam

What the fuck

The stump explodes behind her and Warlights chin instinctively drops to her chest. She surges forward and turns to face the sound, antlers lowered. It takes her a moment to realize that nothing is attacking them, as she stands looking towards the empty meadow, nostrils flared and heart hammering.

She had lived twice and died once, but she had never seen anything quite like that.

It takes Will another moment to realize the bright mare's whisper is meant for her, and she spares a reluctant glace in her direction. But as Xi quickly explains the situation, Warlight gives a low snort and a half-nod of understanding.

"That's unfortunate," she replies in a harsh, unpracticed whisper. She wasn't one for whispering, and after becoming a mother of twins she usually had to raise her voice just to be heard.

The surge of adrenaline she had felt is fading now, draining through her toes and gives her surroundings a sweeping glance before returning her antlered head to the grazing mare. She gets the feeling she's intruding, and opens her mouth to make her exit, but the winged mare is asking a question Warlight probably should have already asked herself.

She turns to her right shoulder to find a good-sized splinter embedded in the base of her neck. And suddenly, with the movement, lack of adrenaline, and at the sight of it, she feels it. It isn't easy to stifle the expression of annoyance that she does, and her face twists a little at the effort, before reaching to take the thing between her teeth. But they snap shut inches shy of contact, and the leopard-skin woman draws in a sharp breath.

"It would make the long walk back to Tephra a lot easier if you wouldn't mind giving me a little help," she whispers, turning so the site is clearly visible.  It would be a while before she could teleport again, her energy is already low from two trips in one night and the lack of sleep. A few hours grazing in the meadow would be enough to mean she would probably make it back, but with her current string of luck she trusted her four legs more than her fickle magic. 

"But if you're squeamish, I can always find another way home."